Seared Scallops over Micro Greens with Orange Tarragon Vinaigrette with Butter Poached Lobster - orange juice

Method

• For the vinaigrette: In a small pot, add the orange juice and tarragon sprig.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and reduce the juice by half.
• When reduced, remove the tarragon sprig, and chill the juice in the refrigerator.
• When cooled, add the white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
• Whisk together.
• Slowly drizzle the grapeseed oil while whisking until you get an equal balance of oil to juice.
• Taste, then adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• Put aside
• For the gastrique: In a small pot, add the sugar, apple cider vinegar and some salt.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
• Add the mango, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Use an immersion blender, blender or even a hand mixer to blend well.
• Then strain through a fine mesh sieve.
• (If you don't have a fine sieve, you can use a regular strainer lined with cheese cloth or a clean dish towel.)
• You want to remove any little bits of mango that the blender missed.
• Put in the refrigerator to cool.
• For the lobster: Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the white vinegar.
• Drop in the lobster tails and simmer them until they just begin to turn bright orange/red.
• Let cool and remove the lobster meat from the shell.
• Chop the meat into pieces, just smaller than bite size.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter.
• Add the garlic and shallots.
• Saute until translucent.
• Add the remaining butter and melt.
• Add a good pinch of salt.
• Add the lobster and stir to coat with the butter.
• Simmer for 1 minute.
• Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.
• For the crostini: Preheat the oven broiler.
• Cut a clove of garlic in half, and rub both sides of the bread with the cut sides of the garlic.
• Brush one side of the bread with olive oil, and sprinkle very lightly with herbes de Provence and salt.
• (If you don't have HDP, you can use a mixture of dried thyme, basil, rosemary, marjoram, sage, savory and fennel seeds, or any one of those herbs you happen to have.)
• Lay the bread on a cookie sheet and reserve.
• To assemble: Start with the scallops.
• Pat your scallops dry with paper towels.
• They MUST be dry in order to get a nice sear and crust on the outside.
• (If you don't, you'll have a scallop just steeping in its own liquid, getting mushy, with no color, sear or flavor.)
• With a paring knife, score the top of the scallops with a crisscross.
• You want to just score the outer layer, 1/16-inch deep.
• Sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper.
• In a scorching hot pan with grapeseed oil, put your scallops in scored-side down.
• Grapeseed oil has a very high smoke point, which allows you to cook at higher temperatures for longer before it starts to smoke and burn.
• The scallops will tell you when it's ok to lift them and take a peek at your sear.
• When you're able to pick the scallops up with no resistance at all, you can then take a peek to see if you're ready to flip it.
• You want a nice rich golden brown color on your scallop.
• Once you've achieved the proper color, flip your scallops and remove the pan from the heat.
• Put your crostini in the oven to toast.
• Add the vinaigrette to your greens a little at a time.
• You want to just cover the greens with the vinaigrette, we don't want to drown it.
• Think light.
• Now on each serving plate, place a silver-dollar-size portion of the dressed micro greens in the center of the plate.
• Take a teaspoon of the mango gastrique, and put it on the plate in front of the greens.
• Then with the back side of the spoon, run it through the middle of the sauce.
• Take 3 or 4 pieces of the lobster, blot them on a paper towel, then place them in the center of your gastrique schmear.
• Place your scallop on top of your micro greens.
• Place 2 crostinis off to the side of the scallop.
• Then cross 2 whole chives over each plate and you're done.